The Difference Between Plot and Outline
How they aren’t the same thing, and the resources that showed me why
We all want to write compelling and successful stories that nudge us towards achieving our writing goals. Outlining is a critical part of the process, but I recently learned that outlining and plotting aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Why plotting appeals
I always had a feeling I was probably going to be a plotter, and when I hit a road block after 20,000 words that feeling became a certainty. I wouldn’t say those 20,000 words were seat of the pants writing, more like desperate attempts to hit word count during my first NaNoWriMo. I liked what I had and desperately wanted to keep it in my first novel, but it wasn’t to be — I needed an outline.
Plotting, or outlining as others often call it, often appeals to the novice writer because it gives us two things that people who have little or no experience often crave, it gives us that safety net of structure, and it gives weight to the idea that finishing the damn thing might just be possible.
As someone with little or no experience myself, and someone who has often had the dogs of self doubt chomp at my heels, I welcomed plotting into my life with open arms, largely because learning a new skill via a…
